PHILADELPHIA, PA — Manko, Gold, Katcher & Fox (MGKF) partner Christopher D. Ball was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE). Embracing some of the same core principles of the firm, SCEE inspires stewardship of the environment and meaningful connections between people and nature. In his capacity on the board, Ball will help oversee programming at the center and adopt strategic policies, priorities and plans to direct the organization.
At the firm Ball, a partner focused on environmental litigation and regulatory compliance, counsels clients with a unique perspective resulting from his significant regulatory work at both the state and federal levels. He is a former deputy attorney general for the state of New Jersey, and state liaison for USEPA Region III, where he gained regulatory experience under a wide range of federal environmental statutes. His practice at MGKF puts this cumulative environmental experience to the benefit of his clients through creative approaches to matters ranging from sustainability initiatives to the management of potential liabilities in individual property transactions.
Ball’s election to the SCEE Board of Trustees is a coming home of sorts. Directly after graduating college, Ball worked as an environmental education intern at the center under the guidance of SCEE’s founding executive director Dick James. The impression left by James and SCEE has been long-lasting, and Ball is thrilled to be able to contribute through the Board of Trustees to the center’s efforts to foster appreciation, deepen understanding, and encourage stewardship of the environment.
The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education (SCEE) operates from a 365-acre tract of land in Philadelphia, and was founded in 1965 as the nation’s first urban environmental education organization. SCEE reaches over 15,000 Philadelphia-area residents each year with an array of educational programs, including standards-based programs for schoolchildren, continuing education for teachers, and a full calendar of events for the public. SCEE is also home to a wildlife rehabilitation clinic, an innovative environmental art program and a native plant nursery. In 2010 SCEE signed conservation easements with Natural Lands Trust, protecting in perpetuity the largest privately-owned piece of land within the Philadelphia city limits.